Welcome to BLUE WILLOW Public School!: February 2018

Monday Lunch Lady orders may continue to be placed, as per their online menu guide.

EXCITING NEWS!!!

We have a new hot lunch option that we will be offering as of Friday, March 23, 2018 from Samosas by Shimla Foods.

There are two order choices, however, please feel free to order as many quantities of each as you would like. (N.B. Each order costs $1)

Order 1 - Two (2) Medium size Vegetarian Samosas $1

Order 2 - Five (5) Small size Non Spicy Butter Chicken Samosas $1

UPCOMING LUNCH OPTIONS offered after the March Break are as follows:

Monday - Lunch Lady - Mar 19 - June 25

Tuesday - Pizza - March 27 to June 26

Wednesday - Subs - April 4 - June 27

Thursday - Lasagna - Apr 5 - June 21

Friday - Samosas - March 23 - June 22

SCHOOLCASHONLINE will accept payment for lunch orders beginning February 26, 2018. Orders close on March 15, 2018.

* Lunch Lady orders are made directly to their website.

Term Two is fast approaching...

Term One Report cards will be coming home on February 15, 2018.

As you review the upcoming Term One Report Cards, please reflect upon your child(ren)’s growth and next steps together, and take a moment to engage in conversations to meet academic and social goals in Term Two. We will continue to support students on their learning journeys as modern learners and as self-advocates, who contribute to and sustain health and well-being at Blue Willow. We are proud of all our students and we are deeply committed to the success and well-being of all.

Our Healthy School Team have introduced several school wide activities to promote healthy eating and physical activity. During the week of January 22-26, our students engaged in the Healthy Lunch Challenge - a collaboration with our York Region community partners - to encourage families to increase fruits, vegetables, and water consumption in their child(ren)’s lunches and snacks.

WALKING WEDNESDAYS

Once a month on selected Wednesdays (beginning January 31) we are committed to walking alongside our peers with the goal of “walking across Canada” - a total of 6,521km! We encourage our community to join us in having fun and being physically active!! Our next Walking Wednesday will be on February 28 between 8:10 - 8:25 a.m. before the entry bell.

💜 Valentine’s Day - For those who celebrate this day, please be mindful that

NO TREATS will be shared at school in order to ensure the safety of all our students. As always, we continue to encourage everyone to show kindness and appreciation in non-tangible ways.

Message From Our Trustee, Linda Aversa

With report cards coming home, this is a good time of year to review your child’s progress and to set goals for the rest of the school year.

As trustees, our goals are set out in the Board Multi-Year Plan. In the coming months, trustees will be reviewing and updating this plan. This process will include opportunities for public input, and trustees will be out in the communities talking about this. More information will be shared about this in the spring.

Developing and reviewing the Multi-Year Plan is just one of our responsibilities as publicly elected officials. Trustee responsibilities also include hiring the Director of Education, setting Board policies and the annual budget, and communicating with the public.

This is a good time to learn more about the role of trustees with the next municipal election taking place later this year on October 22, 2018. York Region District School Board has 12 trustees, elected by ratepayers. As a trustee, listening and communicating with families is an important part of my role. Students, families and members of the public are welcome to attend and observe any public Board, Advisory or Board Committee meetings and to share their views with us on policy and Board governance.

As we move into the second half of the year, I hope that you are seeing evidence of your child’s learning and progress, and finding opportunities to get involved in their learning and the life of the school.

I wish you all the best for a successful second term.

Linda Aversa, Vaughan Wards 3 and 4

Introducing Online Kindergarten Registration! Kindergarten registration for September 2018 opened on January 19, 2018. This year, our school is excited to introduce online registration for Kindergarten. We are one of a small number of schools in the Board piloting this new, optional process.

If you, or someone you know, is registering a child for Kindergarten at our school, you can access the online registration information at http://bit.ly/KindergartenYRDSB. Please note that for this pilot, a laptop or desktop computer is strongly recommended, rather than a mobile device. Of course, families are also welcome to register in person in the school office.

All Public schools in York Region follow a Safe Arrival Program. This requires that we verify every child's absence on a daily basis. If your child will be away for school, it is very important that you report your child(ren)’s absence to the office by calling (905) 851-0043 or by submitting the information on EDSBY. As always, our policy is that if we cannot reach you or the contact numbers on file, we are required to contact York Regional Police.

All YRDSB schools are now using School Cash Online as an online payment system. School Cash Online is an easy, safe and convenient way for families to pay online for extracurricular items or events, including yearbooks and field trips. It helps to reduce paper and the amount of cash/cheques handled by parents and students. Families may make payments using School Cash Online, or by cash or cheque. You can register for School Cash Online at any time. There is also a button on our school website. Once you are registered, you will be notified of any new items available for your child.

Looking Back… January was a wonderful month of learning and growing at Blue Willow! Here are a few highlights:

There are many exciting options for students to participate in during lunch recess!

LIBRARY RECESS - In order to accommodate a variety of students needs and interests, a number of teachers at Blue Willow are providing "Recess Options" on Days 1, 2, 3, and 5 at Lunch recess in the library. Recess Options allow students to sign up on a daily basis for one of three activities: 1) Mindful Coloring and Art; 2) Game Play (board and card games) and 3) Study Hall - where students can read, study, complete homework or play educational computer games.

PLAY LEADERS - Every Day 4, the Primary classes are invited to recess play in the gym. Our students enjoy a variety of active and cooperative games such as Line Tag, Scooter Tag or Octopus, led by our Intermediate student Play Leaders. It is a wonderful opportunity for our younger students to stay active and for our older students to be in a leadership role.

Our Eco Team have been leading positive change at Blue Willow! Most recently we have taken on the challenge to share one garbage, one recycling bin and one green bin between classrooms.

“Before you let it go, think of where you throw!” We encourage families to take on the ECO-challenge at home too!

#ChangeTomorrowToday

FEBRUARY 2018 AT BLUE WILLOW
MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
			FEB 1 BULLYING INFO with Officer Toni (Grade 3s)	2 P.A. DAY NO SCHOOL
5	6	7	8 GRAD PHOTOS Gr 8s & Kindergarten Y2	9
12	13	14	15 VIP Program with Officer Toni Gr 6 Topic: Hate Crimes Term 1 Report Cards	16
19 FAMILY DAY NO SCHOOL	20	21	22 VIP Program with Officer Toni Gr 6 Topic:Cyberbullying Internet Safety FREE Parent Workshop on Raising Confident and Competent Children (7-8:30pm) REGISTER here: https://goo.gl/forms/amM3nAYb9DMDJUVl2	23
26	27	28 Join Us Today for Walking Wednesday 8:10-8:25am	March 1 VIP Program with Officer Toni Gr 6 Topic: Vandalism, Graffiti, Fire Education	March 2

February 8, 2018 - GRAD PHOTOS - Grade 8 and Kindergarten Year 2 students

February 22, 2018 - Raising Confident and Competent Children (7-8:30pm) See below.

WALKING WEDNESDAYS - Our next walk is Wednesday, February 28 between 8:10-8:25am!

In collaboration with Blue Hills, we hosted two Parent Workshops on Teaching Children Emotional Regulation, and The Power of Positive Parenting. Thank you to our parent community and our extended community partners for enriching our understanding of healthy child development.

Our next session topic:

Raising Confident and Competent Children

will take place on Thursday, February 22, 2018 (7-8:30pm). This session will focus on providing parents with strategies to help their child(ren); recognize and accept feeling, express feelings appropriately, build positive feelings and deal with negative feelings, as well as, upsetting and/or stressful life events.